Lightning-arrester.



2 BHBETS-SHEFT 1.

0 R H/s Patented May 24,1910.

W/l/iam W Bea/7 W. W. DEAN.

LIGHTNING ARRESTER. I APPLIOATIOT FILED APR 26 1909 959,120.

' Affo ay W. W. DEAN. LIGHTNXNG ARRBSTER. APPLIOATION FILED APR. 26,1909.

959,120. Patented May 24, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

2 23 I W'//' IZK ZZ/Q m H f/is Afar/76y finely divi UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE."

WILLIAM W. DEAN, 0F ELYRIA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE DEAN ELECTRIC COMPANY,

OF ELYRIA, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

LIGHTNING-ARRESTER.

959,120. Specification of Letters Patent Patented May 24, 1910.

Application filed April 26, 1909. Serial No. 492,232. i

To all whom it may concern: discharge, leaving the edges thereof bare Beit known that I, VILLIAM lV. DEAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Elyria, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Lightning-Arresters; andI hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Hitherto, particularly in telephone work, lightning arresters consistingof two pieces of metal separated by an air gap or three pieces each soseparated from the other, and the center one grounded, have been ingeneral use; but these have proven to be unreliable and unsatisfactory.Other forms used consist of two carbon blocks separated by a strip ofcelluloid or other insulating material. While these are morereliable,the arr-ester must-be renewed whenever a spark penetrates thecelluloid and burns it out. This requires a trip by the trouble manafter of conducting material. It is probable that some of the metal isfused, and while in such condition, is carried away from the edges.Other unknown agencies and causes may contribute to the successfuloperation 'of this device. but whatever be the causes or agencies whichmake itsuccessful, thepro-- tection sought is more particularly setforth in the appended claims. The lightning arrester is thus notdisabled by. a. singledischarge of lightning; I preferably employ aprecipitate of tin fixed together by some adhesion material. but anyform of finely divided conducting material may be used.

Subsequent discharges will puncture the insulation at other points,always where the insulation is weakest, and always insulating thepuncture from the conductors. The life of my arrester will depend uponthe area dissipated at each discharge, and at the initial area given theconducting surface. I limit the latter to prevent introducing anycondensance in my circuit, as the creation each storm, and renders thecost of operatof a condenser there will derogate from the ing rurallines almost prohibitive. merits of my device. I may also make these Myinvention relates to that form of lightlayers into a package by placingtheir surning arreste'r in which two conducting mafaces together andfolding them back and terials separated by an insulating material, forthin the wellknown way certain fabrics are connected to the line leads. Inmy i'nare folded, or I may leave the whole flat and vention one or bothof these conductors conplace it against the plane surface of the sistsof finely divided or microscopic con- -telephone set. ducting materialwhich may be deposited hile I have described and claimfid fi uponeithensurface of the insulator or upon llghtmng arrester, it is with theunderstandthe surface, of other insulators, and the two ing that this isonly one form, of overload separated by the insulating material. Thedanger to which electrical apparatus is ex purpose of this is to causethe lightning arposed, and it will be apparent that my derestentoautomatically restoreitself to operative conditions after eachdischarge. After each discharge the finely divided metal proximate tothe point of perforation, is found to have been dissipated and the twoconducting surfaces are still insulated from each other. It is thoughtthat when the dis charge of lightning pierces the insulator, the intenseheat of the spark volatilizes the finely divided conducting material, orthe surfaces thereof in proximity to the point of perforation so thatthe rest of the finely divided conducting material is insulated by thisspace from the area of the other conductor ex osed by the perforation.The ged metal around the perforation seems, to a certain extent,to beblown away from the perforation by the force of the all these. Icontemplate its use-for any analogous purpose, and as a protectorv ofelectrical apparatus generally.

In case I use for my insulating n'zaterial sheets of paper oranalogous,substances, I may roll them together with the sheetscfconducting material, leaving the terminals exposed.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the followingdescription when,

illustrations, showing several specific embodiments thereof, while itsscope will be more particularly pointed out in the ap pended claims,

paper having illell' interior surfaces covered vice will offerprotection against any and taken in connection with the accompanyingFigure 1 is a view showing two sheets of with this finely dividedconducting material, and separated by a'sheet or insulation. Fig. 2represents a modification of Fig.1, one of the terminals being shown asa sheet of conducting material. Fig. 3 shows the sheets rolled togetherwith the terminals exposed ready for use. Fig. 1 shows a furthermodification showing alternate sheets of conducting and insulatingmaterial. Any of the conducting materials may consist of a finelydivided conductor. Fig. 5 is a view of the circuits showing my lightningarrester in use. Fig. 0 is a modification of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings and to the embodiment of my invention thereshown: in Fig. 1, 1 is a terminal of one of the lines which is connectedto the finely divided con ductor 3, spread on the surface of a sheet ofpaper a is a sheet of insulating material, such as paper, laid upon thesurface of they sheet- 2, and in contact with the conducting materialUpon this is placed a third sheet 5 upon whose surface is spread anotherlayer of conducting material 6. The terminal 7 is in contact with 6.

In Fig. 2 I show the sheet 2 of the tin foil or other conductingmaterial which I substitute for sheet 2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows a terminal 1 connected to a conductor 2 which may be eithera sheet of tin foil or a sheet of paper covered with this finely dividedconducting material. Upon this I lay a sheet of insulation l, upon thisa sheet of paper 5 having both surfaces covered with finely divided conducting material. Both of these surfaces are connected with the terminal11. Superimposed upon this is a sheet 4 of paper, and on this, anothersheet 2. All these may be rolled together as shown in Fig. 5.

By connecting each of the terminals 1 and 9 to one of the line leads,and the terminal 11 to the ground, I Construct the form of lightningarrester illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. (3, where the conductor 16connects the terminal 1 to the left line lead, and the conductor 17connects the terminal 9 to the right line lead. The terminal 11- isgrounded through 12.

In Fig. 5 I show a method of using all forms shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.15 represents a conductor grounded at G. Each 13 and 14 show terminalsconnected to contacts 20 and 21 which are those connected to the lineleads L and It. I slip a lightning arrester, such as is shown in Fig. 3,between the terminals 14 and 15, and another between 13 and 15, so thatthe contacts 1 and 7 make connection with these terminals.

In addition to the advances made in this art by my improved arr-esterstated above, I furnish an arrester which is cheap of construction andwhen covered with a coating of shellac or other liquid insulator, isdurable and is not liable to be short circuited by conductorsaccidentally or intentionally placed between the conducting members.Arresters are sometime short circuited by atmospheric moisture, but mycoating of insulation renders my arrester impervious to moisture andobviates any such troubles. I also contemplate the use of small sheetsof these materials made into a small package with the surfaces fiatagainst one another.

while I. have shown my improved lightning arrester mounted in theseparticular ways, it is obvious that I may mount it in any way to protectapparatus from lightning discharges. It will also be obvious to thoseskilled in the art, that numerous and extensive departures from the formand the details of the apparatus here shown, may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of this invention, the same being herein shownsolely for the purpose of clearly illustrating one specific embodimentthereof.

I claim:

1. As a means for protecting electrical apparatus from disruptivedischarges, an insulator and conductors, one of which latter consists offinely divided conducting material adapted to be punctured anddissipated at the puncture by the discharge.

2. As a means for protecting electrical apparatus from disruptivedischarges, two conductors and an insulator between them, one of saidconductors consisting of finely divided conducting material adapted tobe punctured and dissipated at the puncture by the discharge.

3. As a means for protecting electrical apparatus from disruptivedischarges, a conductor consisting of finely divided conducting materialadapted to be punctured and dissipated at the puncture by the discharge.

1. In a lightning arrester, the combination of two sheetsof finelydivided conducting material separated by an insulator.

5. In a lightning arrester, a sheet of insulation having both sidescoated with a layer of finely divided conducting material and a strip ofinsulation on either exterior side of the first named strip,

6. In a lightning arrester, the combination of a conductor, finelydivided conducting material, a sheet of insulation upon one of whosesurfaces the finely divided conducting material is deposited, and asheet of insulation between the conductor and the finely dividedconducting material.

7. In a lightning arrester, the combination of a conductor, finelydivided conducting material, an insulator between the two, terminals tothe conductors, the whole folded together into a roll with the terminalsexposed.

8. In a lightning arrester, the combination of a conductor, an insulatorin contact therewith, insulation upon whose surfaces are depositedfinely divided conducting material, contacting with said insulator, athird conductor, and a second insulator between said third conductor andthe insulating material.

9. 111 a lightning arrester', a layer of conducting material, a-layer ofinsulation, a

layer of finely divided conducting material, a second layerofinsulation, a second layer of conducting material, terminals for saidconductors, all folded together with the terminals exposed.

10. In a lightning arrester, the combination of two conductors, a sheetof finely divided conducting material and sheets of insulation betweensaid conductors, and said sheet of finely divided conducting material.

11. In a lightning arrester, insulators, a sheet of microscopicconducting material between said vinsulators, and a sheet of conductingmaterial on the outside of one of the insulators.

12. In a lightning arrester consisting of a strip of paper coated on oneside with finely divided conducting material, a layer of conductingmaterial, and a stri of thin paper all wound together in the orm of aroll, the paper being placed between the layer of conducting materialand the coated surface of the first named strip of paper.

13. A lightning arrester consisting of a strip of paper, a layer offinely divided conducting material on either side ofsaid strip ofpaper,'two other la ers of conducting material, strips of insu ationplaced between the conducting material, and all wound together into aroll.

1st. A lightning arrester consisting of two layers of finely dlvidedconducting material, a strip of insulation between said layers, and

two other strips of insulation, one'on either exterior side of thewhole.

15. As a means for protecting electrical:

material attached to each lead, an insulator between said conductorsadapted to be unctured at high voltage discharges, one 0 said conductorsadapted to be dissipated by the discharge in the vicinity of thepuncture to isolate the puncture from the body of the conductor.

16. In a lightning arrester, conductors, an insulator puncturable by thelightning discharges and a conducting substance, whose volatile point issuch that the conduct ing substance 1n proximity to the puncture isdissipated at each discharge, insulating the puncture from the remainingconductor.

17. In a lightning arrester, an insulator adapted to be penetrated bylightning discharges, and conductors of solid material adapted to bevolatilized at the puncture by the discharge to insulate the puncturefrom the conductors.

18. In a lightning arrester, an insulator non-insulating at highvoltages, and conductors of solid material adapted at high temperaturesto be dissipated at the noninsulation points to isolate those pointsfrom the remalmng conductors.

19. In a lig t ling arrester, conductors, an insulator ada ted to bepunctured at high voltage discharges, and a conductor of solid materialadapted to be dissipated by the discharge at the punctures to isolatethe puncture from the body of the conductor.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM W. DEAN. WVitnesses:

R. G. SANDS, F. O. RICHEY.

